This Week In Tennis
​Season 2, Vol 16

​#ThisWeekInTennisrecaps the tennis happenings of the last week via news reports, social media, featured articles, rankings, and podcasts.

Photo credit: Reuters

RUNDOWN

Rafael Nadal continued his domination of the European clay season with his third successive title, this time in Madrid. He beat Fognini, Kyrgios, and Djokovic before taking out Dominic Thiem in a rematch of the Barcelona final. Nadal jumps to #4 in the world rankings and leads the pack in the Race to London standings.

Dominic Thiem scored back-to-back finals appearances, in Barcelona and Madrid. Unfortunately for the world #7, he lost both matches in straight sets to Rafael Nadal.

Kristina Mladenovic reached her fourth final of 2017, losing in three sets to Simona Halep in Madrid. Mladenovic continues to grab headlines off the court too, once more opining on the Sharapova wild card situation.

Roger Federer announced his withdrawal from Roland Garros. The current Australian Open champion said he intended to focus on his grass and hard-court preparation.

Juan Monaco has retired from pro tennis. The 33-year-old Argentinian -- who had been troubled by injuries over the past few years -- retires with 9 titles and a career high ranking of number 10.

Nick Kyrgios will be working part-time with former pro Sebastien Grosjean.

Novak Djokovic lost in the Madrid semifinals to Rafael Nadal, 6-2, 6-4, against whom he had not lost since 2014. Djokovic recently overhauled his team, splitting with mentor Marian Vajda but retaining amor y paz "guru" Pepe Imaz.